Bacardi ambassador Loy Catada and Legacy winner James Irvine.
A major milestone in the evolution of one of the world’s biggest cocktail competitions will be celebrated this year when BACARDÍ crowns the 10th winner of its BACARDÍ Legacy Global Cocktail Competition. Hundreds of thousands will tune in live to join over 200 guests at Mexico City’s Museo Numismatico Nacional on May 1st to see the winner announced. A panel of top talent from the drinks industry, including Alex Kratena, Ivy Mix, Shingo Gokan, Benjamin Padron and Carina Soto will decide who takes home the coveted trophy.

“We are beyond excited to be celebrating ten years of BACARDÍ Legacy this year,” says Dickie Cullimore, Global Ambassador for BACARDÍ rum. “For the past decade this competition has given huge support to the careers of hundreds of bartenders by welcoming them into BACARDÍ Legacy’s ‘Gran Familia.’ This unique stable of talent has delivered a raft of new, original and delicious classic BACARDÍ cocktails to bars throughout the world, many of which have left a lasting legacy and will be ordered for many more years to come. We’re thrilled to be bringing ‘Legacy’ to Latin America – a place that exudes the spirit of BACARDÍ rum – for the first time and we can’t wait to welcome our competitors for an amazing week of education, competition and friendship.”

Since 1862, BACARDÍ, the world’s most awarded rum, has been at the forefront of cocktail culture, sustaining its legacy as the mixing spirit of choice in the world’s most celebrated cocktails.

The BACARDÍ Legacy Global Cocktail Competition challenges bartenders to create the next generation of classic rum cocktails that will have an enduring popularity; to stand alongside drinks such as the Original BACARDÍ Mojito, the Original BACARDÍ Daiquirí and the Original BACARDÍ Cuba Libre.

James Irvine is off to Mexico City in two weeks on an all-expenses-paid journey to represent Australia against the best bartenders from 34 countries globally, and potentially etch his country’s name into the bartending history books.

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The global final will conclude five days in Mexico’s capital in which James and his opponents will attend immersive workshops led by some of the industry’s finest, prior to two days of semi-final competition. Eight will progress to the Global Final on 1st May.

Both days of semi-finals and the Grand Final will be streamed live from the event’s Facebook page.

Judging the Grand Final:

Ivy Mix – Founder of ‘Speedrack,’ co-owner of Leyenda in Brooklyn and 2015 American Bartender of the Year

Jose Sanchez Gavito – Maestro de Ron BACARDÍ and grand final judge since the competition first began

Ran Van Ongevalle – 2017 BACARDÍ Legacy Global Champion

Alex Kratena – Founder of industry non-for-profit P(OUR) and former Head Bartender of multi-award winning Artesian, London

Pamela Wiznitzer – Creative Director and bartender at Seamstress in New York, the Spirited Awards’ American Bartender of the Year 2016 and currently National President of the United States Bartenders’ Guild

Judging the bartenders on their drink’s promotional campaign:

Shingo Gokan – 2012 BACARDÍ Legacy Global winner, owner of Shanghai’s Speak Low and Sober Company and winner of the Spirited Awards’ International Bartender of the Year 2017.

Bocado

Stir all ingredients (except rosemary oil) in a mixing glass filled 3/4 full of quality ice.
Once chilled and diluted, strain into a chilled cocktail glass with a single, dense (preferably spherical) piece of ice.